Green: Creating with Loose Parts & Playdough

With St. Patrick’s Day and spring approaching, we explore the colour green using Laura Vaccaro Seegar’s book Green.

 We are giving away a copy of the book on Instagram if you are interested!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRIJXI-gMOP/?taken-by=make_it_your_own_&hl=en

Materials

• Playdough
• Trays
• Organizer
• Green loose parts of various shades (Go with what you have!  We used: gems, beads, buttons, game pieces, foam shapes etc.)
• “Green” by Laura Vaccaro Seegar
• Book holder

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• Make or purchase your playdough.  Here is our favourite recipe:http://make-it-your-own.com/fall-fun-pumpkin-pie-playdough-gift-jar/You could make it green as well, but we went with a sparkly white so the pieces would stand out.  If I was working in the classroom, I would make 4 batches of the recipe.

• Read the book as a class or put it out for the class to explore.

• Arrange your trays around your loose parts.  Depending on your classroom space and dynamics, decide on how many children could work on this activity at a time.

• Explore with the loose parts to create images or something more abstract.

• You could document your creations with your camera and then return the parts for the next person to create with.  Our daughter noticed that the loose parts created imprints- how could you then extend this idea?

Purpose

• Manipulating loose parts allows for developing one’s fine motor skills, experimenting with design, exploring in an open-ended fashion as loose parts lend to unique combinations for each learner.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Small items can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.